Cheapest 123's

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photonic

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Mar 29, 2004
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Cheapest 123\'s

I searched on this topic before posting and looked for a FAQ but didn't find any answers

CR123A batteries in stores around here are about $9 a piece (!). Is there an online source that CPFers generally find to be the cheapest? I am just looking for some replacements for my Surefire light. I'm looking to buy in small quantity (12 or less I suppose) and the shipping cost is important. Also is there enough juice left in the old ones to do anything useful with?

Thanks!
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

Batterystation, $1 per piece. And according to this thread, qualitywise pretty much at the top. Calculate ~$5 for shipping (batterystation gives an estimate of $6.95, but my orders were mostly less).

Whether there's still juice left in the batteries depends on the light. Which Surefire do you use?

In general, unregulated LED lights are nice to suck them dry (like the Inova X5T).
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

Hi, Photonic.

From where I live, people usually go to 'Ap liu' street for replenishing the battery. It cost me about 1.5 USD per panasonic 123s(made in Japan).

For US, based on little that I know, Surefire does sell their battery at a pretty low price of 15 USD per dozen 123s. And their quality are pretty decent. Various online dealers(like battery station) probably have decent battery as well at a reasonable price(check out the 'flashlight electronic' board for the battery shoot out post).

Buying them in store probably are more pricey from what I have seen. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

I just received an order of 50 Golston batteries from a seller in HK. With shipping it came to $56.00 ($2 was for insurance), not too bad a deal though I don't know too much about the brand. I'm giving away some lights that use CR123's for Christmas and I wanted extra batteries to pack with the lights.
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

Thanks for the replies. Battery station looks good but their shipping is vauge. It estimates $6.95 but you have no idea what the real shipping is. If they keep it at 6.95 that's $16.95 for 10 pieces shipped. There's a seller on ebay selling 10 pieces of real panasonic CR123A's for $1.99 plus $10 shipping, which is about $12 shipped. Obviously, he's making the money off the shipping (keeping the listed price low to show up first when you sort by price).
Has anyone ever dealt with user " www-ohbeauty-com" ? His feedback is 'ok'. I get the feeling he is overseas.
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

[ QUOTE ]
photonic said:
Also is there enough juice left in the old ones to do anything useful with?

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto what elgarak said. The Inova X5 has a reputation for draining the last drops of powerjuice out of "dead" 123 batteries. Its a good excuse to buy an X5 too.

See one here.

best regards
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

I figure the batteries will last a long time. So I bought 21 123's off of battery station. I have been happy.

As for the ebay seller, well, who knows? Remember the good ratings really just mean they got the items and the items worked. Most people don't know how to really test if it is a good or great battery. So it isn't really helpful.

But if you try ebay, post a review.
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

Surefire has them for 15.00 for a box of 12. Or most online places have them for 20.00 for a box of 12. Streamlights are usually a couple bucks less. Everytime I buy a light I get a box of Surefires. It sure beats local retailers. Next time you want to buy a light, just grab a few boxes of batts. Their cheap and they will be there when ya need them.

Lots of people here like batterystation batteries and service. Haven't tried them but it sounds like a win win situation.
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

Battery station. they were almost dead equal with duracell ultra's, in the 123 shootout in batt's forum, a buck a piece, and at that price you can order enough at one time to offset the shipping.I had been using either duracells for 5 bucks from wal-mart or command (from a local LEO outfitter) for 2 buck's. the commmand's did that SF dead shutdown thing. VDG
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

Sounds like a good idea, I should put this in the MicroFAQ.

Batterystation makes very good cells, I've ordered another 20 and they should be on their way soon.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

Woops I missed elgarak's question to me... I use the cheap one :-) (G2 Nitrolon)

I saw a few posts mention a 'shutdown' problem, and maybe that describes what I noticed. I've only owned this light through two sets of batteries. I read a post here warning that running the light when the output turned yellow could reduce bulb life, so I kept an eye out for that. When the first set of batteries died, I was carrying the light in my (rather small) coat pocket. I went to use it one day and nothing happened (zero light output). At first I assumed that I had somehow busted the lamp (maybe by knocking it around in my pocket). I was used to 'regular' flashlights with alkaline batteries- even if the batteries died in a maglight, if I picked it up the next day and tried to use it, I'd at least get a faint yellow glow from the bulb. Anyway, I put my 2nd set of batteries in it and it lit up fine. I forgot about it until the 2nd set of batteries died- and they did so in a very odd way. I was outside working on my car and I used the light to look behind something. The light output was bright and white. I dropped the light into my tool box and grabbed a screwdriver. I went to use the light again and it was dead- completely.
This behavior seems kind of odd to me. I don't see why there would be a 'threshold' current for the bulb, under which it won't operate at all.
FYI the batteries (both sets) were Surefire cells purchased with the light. Both were sealed in plastic, the first set was also sealed inside the box that the light came in.
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

It seems more than just coincidence - having run many sets of Surefire, Batterystation and other cheap crap generic cells through my various lights, what I find is that Surefire cells run full throttle until the very last minute and then simply die. Other cells dim down significantly, as 'normal' batteries would.

When I take other cells out of their lights and put them on the DMM, measuring both voltage and flash amps, the voltage is fairly low (in the region of 2.5V), flash amps start at roughly 2A and fall off very quickly.

On the other hand, Surefire cells come out of the light with voltages as high as 2.8-2.9V, and next-to-nothing flash amps, as low as 0.1-0.5A. They're useless even in the battery eater whereas the other cells still run a low-powered LED for a while. ALL of them do this. It's too many cells to be coincidence.

My take is that SF or their subcontractor built the cells to sustain maximum amps for the longest period of time and then die, rather than to tail off.
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

KevinL:
Ok at least someone else has noticed this which proves I'm not going crazy. I also was interested in the dead battery metrics and noticed a suprisingly high open circuit voltage (near enough to 3V to initially make me think the bulb had died instead of the batteries). I'm not sure what you mean by 'flash amps' (peak current output into a dead short?) I hooked up a (rather slow) DMM and measured 50mA from the batteries while trying to light the G2's lamp...
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

Having just bought ANOTHER set of fifteen from 'em to refill the Pelican batt case I got from 'em, I gotta throw in another nod for Battery Station.

oO
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

I have to recommend battery station's CR123 house brand cells. Good cells at a good value and decent shipping. Kevin, is very helpful to the CPF group with his lower price for CPFers and provides good communication. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

DaGunn
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

Batterystation - another vote... and I have Cana-duh Customs to deal with !! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif (to which I usually place a small order to get it into Canada just under the taxable radar...)
If you have concerns regarding the exact cost of shipping, hey, just email Kevin and ask!
You will get an honest answer.
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

[ QUOTE ]
photonic said:
KevinL:
Ok at least someone else has noticed this which proves I'm not going crazy. I also was interested in the dead battery metrics and noticed a suprisingly high open circuit voltage (near enough to 3V to initially make me think the bulb had died instead of the batteries). I'm not sure what you mean by 'flash amps' (peak current output into a dead short?) I hooked up a (rather slow) DMM and measured 50mA from the batteries while trying to light the G2's lamp...

[/ QUOTE ]

Correct, flash amps are taken by shorting the battery into the DMM, same way as you'd measure voltage. It's done on the 10A scale and for no more than a second because fresh batteries are capable of discharging large amounts of current. The reading will peak and then start falling rapidly. I have noticed that Surefires 'hold' the peak for longer than other kinds of cells, too.

On depleted cells I do hold the probes in position for 2-3 seconds, but by then, the cell will probably peak at 2A and fall to 1A really fast, so it's not too much for the DMM.
 
Re: Cheapest 123\'s

I have the 123a batteries FS at $1/ pc at the thread of "Several lights FS" in the B/S/T section.
 
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